Blog Archives
New U Yoga and Pilates game is out, for Wii
A Wii game called New U Mind Body was released this week. The game has already been out for several months in Europe and the UK, and it has several good reviews on the UK Amazon site. It’s balance-board compatible, and looks like it has the same sort of live-action format as My Fitness Coach 2 (which didn’t get as well reviewed as its predecessor).
And it looks like that’s about it for workout games until next year. I’m surprised to not see any games on the schedule for National Shape-Up Month, January. Maybe the game makers figure that’s when everyone will be at the gym.
Jillian zaps the evil food/drug overlords in her latest Wii game
The third installment of the Jillian Michaels Fitness Ultimatum franchise has been announced (hm, isn’t there supposed to be only one ultimatum?). In JMFU 2011, there’s the usual boot-camp mode where digital Jillian gently guides you through a few hundred pushups, but now there is something new: a story mode.
Which side is she on, anyway?
According to the press release:
For the first time, Fitness Ultimatum 2011 features a story-based Adventure mode where Jillian and the player use their fitness skills and nutrition expertise in a series of missions to shut down Cureall, an evil food and drug corporation set upon world domination.
A while back, I opined that a story mode was one thing that fitness games did not need, and Kotaku seems to agree. Well, since the release of Walk It Out, I’ll amend it to say that a story and characters CAN help keep an exergame interesting, as long as it is kept simple enough to be able to follow while your heart is racing and you have sweat in your eyes. Simply pointing and shooting at trees, ok; piloting an F-15, no. The fitness part should still be the “meat” of the game, although an exception can be made for something like Pokemon HeartGold/SoulSilver where the Pokewalker is an optional, supplementary thing. (A lot of moms, like me, are collecting watts for their kids.)
But the Jillian storyline seems a little backward; with her fat burners and promotion of processed food on Biggest Loser, sounds like she’s already been assimilated by the Cureall. If you can’t beat ‘em…why not just have a storyline where you help Jillian dominate the world by selling all the DVDs, supplements and fake kettlebells you can? Like an exergaming version of Monopoly.
Gold’s Gym Dance Workout is coming
Here’s a one-two punch from the makers of Just Dance – hot on the heels of Dance On Broadway, comes Gold’s Gym Dance Workout! This sequel to the boxercise game Gold’s Gym Cardio Workout says it is “the first dance game specifically dedicated to fitness and weight loss.” The game will be balance-board compatible, will include minigames that look similar to Active Life or EAS Active, and will allow you to track your play time, calories burned and BMI. (No word on online play, though.) The songlist includes:
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Wow, by the time Zumba for Wii comes out, if it ever does, there may be a whole shelf of Wii dance workouts down at Gamestop.
Uncle Sam wants DDR to get Navy into ship shape
With DDR torching fat off moms and kids across the nation, the Navy is interested in turning its boot camps into boot-stomping camps! According to the Navy Times, the tech-savvy Navy Surgeon General Vice Admiral Adam Robinson wants to incorporate exergames like DDR and Wii Fit into physical training programs for recruits, for much the same reason they are being used in schools: because recruits aren’t as physically fit as they used to be, in large part because of all the time they spend in front of computers. So giving them something they enjoy, a “gateway” activity, will build their endurance and strength to tackle more traditional exercises. (Maybe the Wii rowing machine can be put to good use here.)
The article notes that many female recruits are suffering bone fractures, due to not being used to running or even standing for long periods. DDR is just the ticket for that, with all its high-impact jumping and running. Playing doubles will help develop amazing flexibility and agility as well.
I salute the Navy from my dance pad for their forward thinking! If they want to save Uncle Sam a few dollars and buy games off the shelf, may I suggest DDRMAX2 for PS2 which contains a remix of, what else, “In The Navy”.
Family Party: Fitness Fun – that says it all
Amazon is now listing a game that sounds as if someone tossed all the Wii “buzzwords” into a hat and picked out four of them for a title. “Let’s see…Fun Fitness Family Party? Family Fun Party Fitness? Family Party Fitness Fun? Yes! I think we’ve got it!” It reminds me of the Firm series of workout videos, which seems to have gone through every possible combination of “cardio”, “sculpt” and “blast”.
Anyway, Family Party: Fitness Fun, which is due on September 21, includes 30 sporty activities, 10 of which are balance board compatible. According to the description, “Intense timed workout mode lets players create a nonstop exercise series.”
